“No matter how much you want to ride in on a white horse and be my Prince Charming, you can’t fix this. You can’t fix me,” Faith tells her husband in Kellie Coates Gilbert’s novel, A Reason to Stay.

~ What ~ Part of the Texas Gold series, this three-hundred-and-thirty-six-page paperback targets those who enjoy contemporary Christian romance. Referring to sexual intimacy, its contents of injury, death, and marital issues would not be appropriate for immature readers. The ending includes the author’s notes, acknowledgments, an excerpt of the next book in the series, author’s biography, and advertisements.

In this stand-alone story, twenty-eight-year-old rising-star television reporter, Faith, gets swept off her heels by the charming professional fisherman, Geary Marin, when they meet during a bass tournament. Quickly agreeing to an unequally yoked marriage, Geary questions her priorities and commitment to family while Faith hides her true feelings of brokenness and despair. When the worst day happens in the young woman’s life, she must decide if she should save her marriage and herself.

~ Why ~
Dealing with his controlling, gregarious family and her damaged, barely existent one, Geary and Faith have little in common. I like how the family was loving, over-protected, and always there to support its members. The book reminds readers that God has His reasons when unwanted events happen.

~ Why Not ~.
Faith is constantly the heroine in all work scenarios, and the romantic relationship between the two is minimal. With medical and marital issues, the story is predictable.

~ Who ~ As a formal legal investigator and trial paralegal, author Gilbert has written two prior novels in the series. She and her husband live in Texas.

~ Wish ~ I wish there were more in-depth hurt, shame, and tension explained between Geary and Faith, especially when it related to her past. With some characters being stereotypical, it would have been nice to have some deviations.

~ Want ~ If you are looking for a casual weekend read that is a romantic tragedy that gets ideally resolved, this would be a good one to lose yourself.

Thanks to Baker Books for offering this book to read and review for my honest opinion.

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